Swords, magic, and martial arts

The three of them ate hot pot around the fire, sweating profusely.

"I never thought this plant could be eaten like this. I've seen dogs eat it before, so nobody eats it. But I've heard that people who have eaten it haven't been poisoned, they just feel a little uncomfortable when they go to the toilet." The huntress kept gasping for breath from the spiciness, but her fork kept searching for beef in the pot.

"I've been looking for this plant for a long time, but I couldn't find it. I didn't expect you to have it on you. Since you know even dogs don't eat it, why did you put so many of them in your bag?" Rod asked.

"Grinding it into powder and sprinkling it on the wound can cause intense pain. It's a must-have in the interrogation room of the castle. I only went into the forest to collect this stuff because I was commissioned by the castle steward. Otherwise, who would torture themselves by going into the forest to suffer in the dead of winter?" The huntress said to Rhodes, her eyes full of meaning.

It seems that Aya and I suffered in the forest during the winter, and she probably suspects that we have some ulterior motive.

However, their experiences are somewhat unbelievable; most people have never experienced them, and even the huntress wouldn't believe it if she told her.

"Water, water," Aya said, sucking in air. Her face was flushed from eating, and tears were almost welling up in her eyes from the spiciness.

Rhodes handed a watering can to Aya. "Could you help me find some seeds of this plant? I'd like to grow some myself," Rhodes said.

The huntress nodded as she ate, mumbling, "I can help you find some; we'll definitely be able to gather some on the road tomorrow."

Rhodes found it strange. In the world before he transmigrated, chili peppers lived in the subtropics and ripened in autumn and summer. He never expected that in such a cold place in this world, there would be a plant whose leaves tasted the same as chili peppers.

"After eating, I don't feel cold anymore," the huntress said, putting down her fork. Aya nodded in agreement.

Surprisingly, they weren't too afraid of the spiciness on their first try. They might as well open a hot pot restaurant after retirement and hope to find Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and the like on their future adventures.

Rod thought for a moment, and it seemed there were many ways to make him rich: high-proof grain liquor, hot pot restaurants, Chinese restaurants, dumpling restaurants...

After they had eaten their fill, the huntress and Aya prepared to go to sleep, as the hot pot that evening had not attracted any wild animals.

Rhodes was responsible for guarding the first half of the night, while the huntresses would guard the second half.

Keeping watch is boring; if I don't find something to do, I might fall asleep from boredom. I don't have any books to read, and my injuries make it inconvenient to practice my martial arts, plus practicing would disturb them. Practicing the Divine Illumination Technique or the Concentration Technique would involve losing all awareness of my surroundings, which is somewhat dangerous.

He began studying the descriptions and moves of the martial arts he possessed in the martial arts system, reading them over and over again. Feeling a bit bored, he decided to study the Gravity Technique, wondering if he could discover more of its functions, summarize them, and then rename it.

Besides being used as a mage's hand, the Gravity spell can also be used to probe the surroundings with mental power. Its creator was the necromancer Otto, and Otto's choice of name for this spell is really too chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur).

After thinking for a moment, Rhodes decided to call it "Mage Ball".

He used the Wizard Ball to probe his surroundings and discovered something was hidden in the tree.

This startled him, and after a careful examination, he discovered it was a werewolf.

Why are there werewolves here too?

Having only ever seen werewolves from the Cult of Death, he subconsciously equated werewolves with the Cult of Death. However, upon reflection, he realized that werewolves weren't exclusive to the Cult of Death; they also existed in Nord territory. Was that just a hyena in the tree?

He pretended nothing had happened and acted as if nothing had happened. He had no idea when the werewolf climbed the tree, whether it was before he arrived or while he was eating hot pot and talking.

In the Roman Empire, werewolves are among the most dangerous hunters. They are strong and agile, know how to hide themselves and how to track their enemies, and their sharp claws can even tear through the plate armor of ordinary knights.

In the Nord Kingdom, there are also terrifying creatures such as saber-toothed tigers and frost trolls. Adult frost trolls can even easily tear apart strong warhorses.

The werewolf stealthily moved its body in the tree, slowly approaching Rhodes and the others. Rhodes used his gravity spell to pull the werewolf down from the tree. The werewolf rolled over as it fell to the ground, dissipating some of the force.

Rhodes shouted, waking Aya and the huntress from their sleep. The werewolf roared and charged at Rhodes; this werewolf was clearly slower than the werewolves of the Cult of Death.

Rhodes was well-prepared; he had put on brass knuckles on his right hand and placed his longsword beside him before the night watch.

He met the werewolf with his sword in his left hand, and slashed diagonally at the werewolf. The werewolf used his strong arm to knock Rhodes's sword away, and then reached out to grab Rhodes with his other hand.

Rhodes was startled, not expecting the werewolf to be so powerful. He didn't need to dodge, he immediately began to use the Taizu Long Fist, which had reached level 4.

The right fist, adorned with brass knuckles, collided with the werewolf's claws. As fist and claw met, the werewolf let out a painful roar, its claws bleeding profusely, the foul-smelling blood flowing down its sides.

Rhodes, who had gained a slight advantage, did not press his advantage. Instead, he took a few steps back and put a brass knuckle on his left hand as well. After an afternoon, his left arm and right palm, which had been treated with the Black Jade Bone-Regenerating Ointment, were almost completely healed. Even the scabs were about to fall off, prompting him to praise the medicine he had won in the system shop lottery.

An arrow flew past Rhodes and pierced the werewolf's eye. The werewolf roared again and charged forward madly.

Rhodes used the Taizu Long Fist to parry all the werewolf's frenzied attacks and even found opportunities to counterattack. He seemed to have entered a state where he was one with the Taizu Long Fist, able to control it at will.

[System Notification: Congratulations, host, for mastering the essence of "Taizu Long Fist". This martial art has become one with you and will no longer occupy your martial arts skill slot, nor will it reduce your level.]

After receiving this notification, Rhode became even more adept at dealing with the werewolf's chaotic attacks, and could even check the system while fighting.

A new skill slot appeared in the martial arts section, containing only one martial art: Taizu Changquan. He discovered that Taizu Changquan could be used as an active skill.

Taizu Long Fist Lv4: After use, the next punch deals 175% damage and increases fist and palm power by 40% for ten seconds (Cooldown time: determined by the host's status).

After reading the description, Rhodes used the Taizu Long Fist and struck at the werewolf. The werewolf crossed his arms to block, but with a crack, the werewolf's arms went limp and fell to the ground.

This time, Rhode pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of punches like a storm. Rhode would never hit the werewolf's body if he could hit its face, and the werewolf was knocked to the ground unconscious.

He glanced back at the huntress. "Kill him, end his suffering," she said. "If you can't bear to, I will."

Werewolves are transformed from humans. Only a very small percentage of werewolves can retain their sanity and freely switch between human and werewolf forms. This werewolf is clearly from the majority, having gained power but not retaining human sanity.

The huntress stepped forward and plunged the longsword Rhodes had given her into the werewolf's throat. Several spurts of blood gushed from his throat, and the werewolf's head lolled to the side, whereupon it remained motionless...